PUERTO PRINCESA
The provincial capital of Palawan. Dubbed as the ‘City in the Forest’ and said to be the cleanest and greenest city in the Philippines. About an hour and 15 minutes flight from Manila.
TOURING THE CITY
Do-it-yourself City Tour:
-Baywalk
-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
-Plaza Cuartel
If you consider yourself the more adventurous type, a do-it-yourself city tour is the way to go. It’s cheaper. You get to see more, get a deeper sense of the place, and encounter more locals in a much personal level. And preferably should be done by foot, tricycles, and jeeps. Ask around. Locals are generally very friendly and helpful.
Baywalk
It is within the city proper. Ask any local. They'll be happy to tell you where.
City Cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. Pay homage to the patron saint of Puerto Princesa. It is within a walking distance from the city proper.
Plaza Cuartel
The Plaza Cuartel is a former site of a Japanese garrison, only a few steps from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Concepcion. This site is where the Palawan Massacre occured in 1944, relevant enough for historical value but it's so small there's really nothing to see except to sit under a big mango tree.
TASTES OF PUERTO PRINCESA
Restaurants:
-Balinsasayaw
-Ka Lui
-Divine Sweets
-Kinabuchs
-Badjao
Ka Lui
This is highly recommended. Ka Lui is an institution. A fixture in Puerto Princesa. A must-visit restaurant. It is a spacious bahay-kubo style pavilion. Made of bamboo and wood, flanked by lush gardens and mini-waterfalls, making the restaurant airy and breezy. The furniture echo a laid-back theme. Capiz lamps, masks lined up the walls, and some rather interesting paintings hanged everywhere. Bowls of hairy, bright red achuete fruits. Costumers have the choice of sitting on regular tables or sitting down on pillows strewn on mats laid down on their shiny bamboo floor. Oh! and expect to walk around the restaurant barefoot as all costumers are required to leave their footwear on the stoop. I love the halaan soup, avocado shake, seaweed salad (lato). Ka Lui Special comes with dessert; sliced watermelon, banana, avocado and kalamay (rice cake) dashed with muscovado sugar and served in half a coconut shell. Even after finishing the fresh fruits, you can still scrape the young coconut meat. For drinks, no carbonated sodas, just fresh fruit concoctions!
Balinsasayaw Inato and Grill Restaurant
Famous for their Nido soup, not the expensive Balinsasayaw soup... the taste is just OK for me. Same goes with the other food we ordered… The nipa huts add nice ambiance to the place. ***Balinsasayaw actually is a bird that is found in Palawan, mostly in caves, and is priced for its saliva. They turn their salivas into their nest. A kilo of a balinsasayaw's saliva reaches up to a whopping Php 50,000 or more. Expensive salivas aren't they?
Kinabuchs
With full bar, pool table, videoke, restaurant, you get the picture.
Badjao Restaurant
A restaurant on a stilt. Beautiful ambience. Sea water beneath the restaurant. Good seafood but unfortunately, I got food poisoned from this restaurant, must have been salmonella. Good thing, it was our last meal before our flight back home.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Princesa Inn – Located at 169 Malvar Street for P120/night (good for 2 persons)...not bad of a deal if you don't mind an occasional power outage (occured one time while we were there)... and puke-clogged toilet (common area), usually in the morning (next room having too much of a drink from the night before)... though I like their relax rules - visitors are allowed to stay over night.
UNDERGROUND RIVER
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
Group Tour (rates varies at anytime)
P1,500/head includes:
-hotel pick-up and return
-air-condition van
-hearty lunch
-boat transfers
-entrance fees
It took about 3-4 hours drive from Puerto Princesa city center to Sabang, the jump-off pier going to the Underground River.
There’s a rest stop at the ‘Half-way’ in Salvacion where you can have your morning coffee.
Then from Sabang pier is a 15-min outrigger boat ride going to the Underground River.
As you cross Sabang Bay, you will see the view of St. Paul Mountain; so called because the silhouette of the mountain resembles that of St Paul’s face facing up the sky. This mountain range is the source of the Underground River.
As you get to the beach on the other side, you then do a short hike through a canopy of forest trees leading to the touring boat launching area. It’s a wooden platform walkway where several giant monitor lizards occasionally appears. They roam the area freely.
The boat tour inside the cave takes approximately 45-minute. An 8.2 km. navigable river. The river winds through the cave and flow into the South China Sea.
Stalactites & stalagmites formations resemble things thus the names:
-the Holy Family
-the three kings
-an angel holding a Holy Water
-the Nativity
-Marilyn Monroe
-vegetables that complete a pinakbet recipe
-and ‘EDSA’ – where a straight, long, high flat-ceiling corridor.
This one resembles apparently the face of Jesus.
Inside the pitch black cave is populated by bats and swallows flying incessantly in the dark.
So this little brat kid in our group keeps telling his mom he wants to hold the flashlight. So our boatman being the nice person that he was handed the flashlight. Now every time our guide tells us about a particular formation, the kid moves the light somewhere else 😬
Lunch was taken back at Sabang Beach, which was included in the tour package.
CROCODILE FARM
Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center. A Crocodile Institute, a Nature Park, and a mini zoo rolled into one. Mainly, a sanctuary of crocodiles endemic to the country.
It’s free to enter the center with a P35 to have your picture taken with a crocodile.
Do-it-yourself City Tour:
-Baywalk
-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
-Plaza Cuartel
If you consider yourself the more adventurous type, a do-it-yourself city tour is the way to go. It’s cheaper. You get to see more, get a deeper sense of the place, and encounter more locals in a much personal level. And preferably should be done by foot, tricycles, and jeeps. Ask around. Locals are generally very friendly and helpful.
Baywalk
It is within the city proper. Ask any local. They'll be happy to tell you where.
City Cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. Pay homage to the patron saint of Puerto Princesa. It is within a walking distance from the city proper.
Plaza Cuartel
The Plaza Cuartel is a former site of a Japanese garrison, only a few steps from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Concepcion. This site is where the Palawan Massacre occured in 1944, relevant enough for historical value but it's so small there's really nothing to see except to sit under a big mango tree.
TASTES OF PUERTO PRINCESA
Restaurants:
-Balinsasayaw
-Ka Lui
-Divine Sweets
-Kinabuchs
-Badjao
Ka Lui
This is highly recommended. Ka Lui is an institution. A fixture in Puerto Princesa. A must-visit restaurant. It is a spacious bahay-kubo style pavilion. Made of bamboo and wood, flanked by lush gardens and mini-waterfalls, making the restaurant airy and breezy. The furniture echo a laid-back theme. Capiz lamps, masks lined up the walls, and some rather interesting paintings hanged everywhere. Bowls of hairy, bright red achuete fruits. Costumers have the choice of sitting on regular tables or sitting down on pillows strewn on mats laid down on their shiny bamboo floor. Oh! and expect to walk around the restaurant barefoot as all costumers are required to leave their footwear on the stoop. I love the halaan soup, avocado shake, seaweed salad (lato). Ka Lui Special comes with dessert; sliced watermelon, banana, avocado and kalamay (rice cake) dashed with muscovado sugar and served in half a coconut shell. Even after finishing the fresh fruits, you can still scrape the young coconut meat. For drinks, no carbonated sodas, just fresh fruit concoctions!
Balinsasayaw Inato and Grill Restaurant
Famous for their Nido soup, not the expensive Balinsasayaw soup... the taste is just OK for me. Same goes with the other food we ordered… The nipa huts add nice ambiance to the place. ***Balinsasayaw actually is a bird that is found in Palawan, mostly in caves, and is priced for its saliva. They turn their salivas into their nest. A kilo of a balinsasayaw's saliva reaches up to a whopping Php 50,000 or more. Expensive salivas aren't they?
Kinabuchs
With full bar, pool table, videoke, restaurant, you get the picture.
Badjao Restaurant
A restaurant on a stilt. Beautiful ambience. Sea water beneath the restaurant. Good seafood but unfortunately, I got food poisoned from this restaurant, must have been salmonella. Good thing, it was our last meal before our flight back home.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Princesa Inn – Located at 169 Malvar Street for P120/night (good for 2 persons)...not bad of a deal if you don't mind an occasional power outage (occured one time while we were there)... and puke-clogged toilet (common area), usually in the morning (next room having too much of a drink from the night before)... though I like their relax rules - visitors are allowed to stay over night.
UNDERGROUND RIVER
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
Group Tour (rates varies at anytime)
P1,500/head includes:
-hotel pick-up and return
-air-condition van
-hearty lunch
-boat transfers
-entrance fees
It took about 3-4 hours drive from Puerto Princesa city center to Sabang, the jump-off pier going to the Underground River.
There’s a rest stop at the ‘Half-way’ in Salvacion where you can have your morning coffee.
SABANG
Sabang is a beach community that is visually all-around beautiful. The beach and the view of the surrounding mountain range are really nice.
Sabang is a beach community that is visually all-around beautiful. The beach and the view of the surrounding mountain range are really nice.
There are lodging and inns by the beach for visitors who want to stay overnight.
Then from Sabang pier is a 15-min outrigger boat ride going to the Underground River.
As you cross Sabang Bay, you will see the view of St. Paul Mountain; so called because the silhouette of the mountain resembles that of St Paul’s face facing up the sky. This mountain range is the source of the Underground River.
As you get to the beach on the other side, you then do a short hike through a canopy of forest trees leading to the touring boat launching area. It’s a wooden platform walkway where several giant monitor lizards occasionally appears. They roam the area freely.
The boat tour inside the cave takes approximately 45-minute. An 8.2 km. navigable river. The river winds through the cave and flow into the South China Sea.
Stalactites & stalagmites formations resemble things thus the names:
-the Holy Family
-the three kings
-an angel holding a Holy Water
-the Nativity
-Marilyn Monroe
-vegetables that complete a pinakbet recipe
-and ‘EDSA’ – where a straight, long, high flat-ceiling corridor.
This one resembles apparently the face of Jesus.
Inside the pitch black cave is populated by bats and swallows flying incessantly in the dark.
So this little brat kid in our group keeps telling his mom he wants to hold the flashlight. So our boatman being the nice person that he was handed the flashlight. Now every time our guide tells us about a particular formation, the kid moves the light somewhere else 😬
Lunch was taken back at Sabang Beach, which was included in the tour package.
CROCODILE FARM
Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Center. A Crocodile Institute, a Nature Park, and a mini zoo rolled into one. Mainly, a sanctuary of crocodiles endemic to the country.
It’s free to enter the center with a P35 to have your picture taken with a crocodile.
Baby crocs.
Preggy crocs.
MITRA'S RANCH
Also called Rancho Sta Monica. Mitra’s Ranch, now open to the public, used to be a sprawling private property. It offers a great view from a high vantage point. A nice place to chillax.
BAKER'S HILL
Baker’s Hill is nothing but a place to grab lunch.
HONDA BAY ISLAND HOPPING
-Pandan Island
-Snake Island
-Starfish Island
Group Tour (rates varies at anytime)
-P1,500/head includes:
-hotel pick-up and return
-air-condition van
-hearty lunch
-3-island adventure: Pandan, Snake, and Starfish
Preggy crocs.
MITRA'S RANCH
Also called Rancho Sta Monica. Mitra’s Ranch, now open to the public, used to be a sprawling private property. It offers a great view from a high vantage point. A nice place to chillax.
BAKER'S HILL
Baker’s Hill is nothing but a place to grab lunch.
HONDA BAY ISLAND HOPPING
-Pandan Island
-Snake Island
-Starfish Island
Group Tour (rates varies at anytime)
-P1,500/head includes:
-hotel pick-up and return
-air-condition van
-hearty lunch
-3-island adventure: Pandan, Snake, and Starfish
Pandan Island.
Snake Island.
Starfish Island.
Let's summarize the expenses.
Airfare (Cebu Pacific) - P1,410 (round trip)
Room - P100/pax (fan room double bed)
Underground Tour - P1,500/pax
Island Hopping - P1,100/pax
Food - P350/day (average daily)
Room - P100/pax (fan room double bed)
Underground Tour - P1,500/pax
Island Hopping - P1,100/pax
Food - P350/day (average daily)
